I guess, in the end, I couldn’t be a prince…

The revolution is upon us…

Utena: Why…? Why…?

Anthy: You remind me so much of Dios when I loved him. But you can never be my prince. Because you’re a girl.

Utena: Hime…Himemiya…!

Akio: I warned you. This isn’t a game.

Notably, Anthy doesn’t use “ai” when she speaks of loving Dios here.

also this is a finale, so expect lots of pics

Then we cut away for one last scene with the other Duelists, grilling kebabs.

Touga: Don’t take [the ring] off yet! She has entered the Dueling Arena representing us Duelists. Until everything is finally settled, we must remain Duelists.

Nanami: I’ve already taken mine off. I just want to forget about this whole thing!

Mickey: Can we ever forget?

Juri: That reminds me. That boy’s name…I’ve forgotten it now.

Mickey: What boy?

Juri: Years ago, when my older sister was just a child, she nearly drowned in a river. A boy jumped into the water to try and save her.

Nanami: And then…?

Juri: Luckily for her, a nearby adult managed to rescue my sister. But the boy who jumped in to save her was washed away.

Nanami: You mean…he drowned?

Juri: My sister soon forgot the boy’s name. “What a cold-hearted person she is!” I thought. But now, as hard as I try, I can’t remember his name, either.

Nanami: Hey…hey…why did you just tell us that story?

This is clearly an allusion to Night on the Galactic Railroad, which, if you’ll recall, is largely a musing on self-sacrifice…

Akio: Anthy, the sword. What’s wrong? Why do you hesitate?

Anthy: I…

Akio: You have regrets? I suppose it’s because you’ve ended up bringing sorrow to your friend. Yes…all of this is my fault. Do you hate what I’ve become? Perhaps, if I tried to be a prince like I used to be, no one would have to get hurt. Your pain and your suffering, I feel them always, as a part of me.

He makes a show of shedding tears, but Anthy believes he’s sincere.

Anthy: Knowing everything of the world, you chose this path.

Akio: And knowing everything of you, I love you.

And here, Akio uses “ai”, then Anthy finally gives him the sword. Because he’s convinced her that he’s the only one who truly loves her.

Then he turns to what he’s actually after.

Akio: The Rose Gate. The portal which seals the power to revolutionize the world. Here they come…Anthy!!!

because he knows what’s coming. and he knows it’s gonna hurt way more for anthy

Utena: Hime…miya…don’t…Hime…

Anthy: Oh, stubborn and reckless hero, you let me have a small taste of true friendship. Farewell.

Utena: No…don’t…Hime…miya…

Akio: The million swords which shine with human hatred…they are stirred by the sight of this prince’s sword.

And the swords are all crying “witch”, as they ignore Akio to focus on Anthy…

and the theme begins

Though I am born, I will die
Though I am born, I will disappear
It happens over and over again, it’s so absurd
Though I am disconnected, even so, connection remains
See, I have vanished yet I still sing.
See, I have vanished, yet still I laugh.
See, I have vanished yet I am petrified.
See, I have vanished yet I still live.
I exist. I am here.

and utena’s left just screaming anthy’s name as she’s skewered with countless swords

Akio: She takes the swords in place of the prince. That is the destiny of the Rose Bride. All of this is what Anthy has chosen for herself…[…]  Now, the seal shall be broken. Now, the door to a new world shall be opened!

But Akio’s just trying to stab the Rose Gate with Utena’s sword, in order to regain the power of the Prince he once had.

Then, with no one else to turn to (and being crippled with pain after the, y’know. stab in the back), she begs AKIO to help Anthy.

Utena :Akio-san…! Please…help her…! Help…Himemiya…

Then, Dios speaks words of comfort to Utena (because apparently there’s no comfort for Anthy).

Dios: You should lie still. I’ll treat your wound later. Such a gentle-hearted girl…You weep for her? You see that rose-shaped gate there? Through that door lies eternity. That which shines. The power of miracles. With that power, anything is possible. It’s too much for you. You’re just a girl, aren’t you? Besides, you don’t have that power. With such power, you could do anything. You could free that girl from her destiny. But how the power shall be used…

Akio: …is for me to decide.

Dios: Come now. Don’t look so sad. You’ve tried hard till now. No need to blame yourself. You’ve treasured the Rose Crest ring till now. A kiss, to show my appreciation…the only comfort I can offer.

And this is what makes Utena’s mind up. She finally sees that Dios can’t help her anymore, and Akio won’t help Anthy. If she doesn’t save Anthy, no one will.

So she gets back up, knowing that Anthy’s pain is so much worse right now.

And Akio’s gone and broken Utena’s sword.

Akio: So, this sword won’t work, either. When will I finally regain the Power of Dios? Oh, well, the Rose Bride still belongs to me. Someday…I’m surprised you can stand. You really intend to try and open this door yourself? Don’t bother. The prince’s sword has been shattered. The seal…the seal is unbroken. You can’t do it. I couldn’t, so-

Because he wasn’t the one who possessed the prince’s heart from which the sword was drawn. If any prince can open the gate, it’s her.

Akio: Very well. Do as you wish.

and she just tries to open it with her bare hands, cause it’s all she has

Akio: Seeing you is like seeing myself in the past. I was like you, once. I thought persistence had merit. That it was the best way to change the world. But just that alone can’t change anything. Without power, you’re doomed to live life dependent on another. I’ve taken enough risks to win the power to change the world. That’s how the world works-

Utena: Shut up!

Because he’s never risked anything substantial — Anthy took on all his risks. She’s the one the world hated, while he got respect. He’s still dependent on Anthy for his power, much as he may deny it. And Anthy only really stays because she sees nowhere else to go — everyone else despises her.

Utena: Himemiya…you still don’t know…The only time I’ve ever been really happy, was when I was with you.

and she sheds a tear for anthy

And, like the gate to the Dueling Arena, that’s what does it.

then the swords hold still, finally making akio take notice

Akio: Stop! Don’t open it! Don’t you know what’ll happen?! Stop it! Stop…!

Then the swords are redirected, finally serving Akio himself some long-overdue pain

and we’ve come full circle, with utena acting as anthy’s prince, like the one who saved her in the prologue

She finds her sleeping in a coffin, and calls out to her with the voice of the girl who made that promise long ago.

Utena: Himemiya…Himemiya…

Anthy: Who’s there?

Utena: I came to save you.

Anthy: But…who are you…?

Utena: I came all this way to be with you. So don’t be afraid of this world where we can meet.

Then, once Anthy actually sees her, they’re not children anymore.

Utena: Himemiya! Himemiya!

Anthy: Utena-sama…?

Utena: Himemia…at last, we meet…

Because Utena finally knows her now, both the good and the bad.

Utena: Himemiya, give me your hand!

Anthy: No! Get out of here! The swords…!

Utena: Your hand…! Now…! Himemiya!

Anthy: No! If you don’t hurry and get out of here…!

Because the swords will doubtlessly come for Utena, the one who loves the “witch”. All Anthy wants is to spare her pain…until she realizes the pain doesn’t matter to Utena as much as her.

and she finally, tentatively, reaches out her hand

Utena: Someday…someday, together…

AND THEY FINALLY REALLY HOLD HANDS…until the world rips them apart

Utena: I guess, in the end…I couldn’t be a prince…Forgive me, Himemiya…for pretending to be a prince…forgive me…

and the performances kill me, as the swords go after both utena and anthy

But outside the room, life at Ohtori Academy goes on.

Shadow Girl A: Catching a good man should be a woman’s best talent, right?

Girl B: Oh, listen to you talk! She found the man of her dreams, lately.

Girl A: And she used to be the one always crying “Utena-sama! Utena-sama!”

Girl B: What? You got a problem with that?! Hey, who was Utena-sama again?

Girl A: Huh? Don’t you know? Remember? She always dressed in boys’ clothes. The teachers were always chewing her out.

Girl B: Ohhh…now I remember. That girl. Yeah, I remember her now. Didn’t she get hurt really badly a few months back and had to be hospitalized?

Girl A: Huh? Hospitalized? I heard her friend or her boyfriend betrayed her, and she transferred to another school.

Girl B: I heard she got in trouble with the Chairman and got expelled. Well, it doesn’t matter, I guess.

By the way, the word translated as “boyfriend” here is more accurately translated as “lover”, not gender-specific. and all those things could be used to describe what happened to utena

The other Duelists return to some semblance of normalcy, with Mickey evidently taking Tsuwabuki as an apprentice, and Saionji studying hard to catch up academically.

and apparently, wakaba has functionally replaced utena now, but she has her onion prince boyfriend

Akio: So little time has passed since it happened, but they’re all forgetting she even existed. As I thought, she caused no revolution to occur. Now that she’s gone, she’s just one more sad dropout to this world. […]

Anthy: You really don’t understand what happened, do you?

And that finally makes him take notice.

Anthy: It doesn’t matter. By all means, stay in this cozy coffin of yours, and continue to play prince. But I have to go now.

Akio: “Go?” Go where?

Anthy: She isn’t gone at all. She’s merely vanished from your world.

Akio: What are you talking about? W-wait! Anthy! Anthy!!

Anthy: Goodbye.

Utena might not have revolutionized the school, but she did revolutionize Anthy. She managed to convey to her that she could be loved by someone else, and that gave her the strength to change.

Utena may only have reached one person, but when it’s the person you love, that’s enough.

Anthy: This time, it’s my turn to go. No matter where you are, I swear I’ll find you. Wait for me, Utena.

and she finally refers to her without the “sama”, indicating that she no longer considers her a “master”, but an equal. and a reprise of the OP starts up as she steps over the threshold into the real world, and it is perfect

Then, after the credits…

Utena: Listen, if you ever have a problem, come to me first. I want us to be friends like that. And someday, together…

Anthy: Someday, together…?

and then, the title card finally drops: “Someday, Together, We’ll Shine”.

And this is a lovely ending in and of itself (if still more open than Western audiences might like). But there’s still one last thing to get to.

The Movie…

…next time